Dates of Books of Rates prior to 1558, that usually accepted as the first, 766. — Metropolitan rates (1507–36) precede the national valuations, 768. — Increase of valuations in 1558 and 1610, 769. — The Books contain valuations, not specific duties, except in the case of cloth, 770. — Other contents, 771. — The chief motives for the issue of the earlier Books were the desire for national uniformity and the need for reform of customs frauds, 772. — For the later books not the loss of Calais revenue but the necessity of adjustment to price changes and the increase of indirect taxation, 773.

Importance and difficulty of the subject, 107. — I. Review of customs theories, 108. — A priori theories of customs origins, 108. — Prise theory of Mr. Hall, 110. — Purveyance, 113. — Prise of merchants' goods, 113. — Prise commutations, 117. — The customs of 1275, 118. — Later history of the prise, 121. — The chain of errors in the prise theory, 123. — II. Local customs, 123. — Custuma ville, 124. — Periods in the development of local customs, 125. — Medieval and modern local customs compared, 127. — Local customs not to be expanded into national customs, 128. — III. Semi-national customs, 1050–1275, 130. — Lastage, 130. — Scavage, 133. — Ancient wine custom, 134. — The prise of wines, 136. — Recta prisa, 137. — Decay of these dues, 142. — IV. The customs experiment of King John, 143. — The fifteenth, 143. — The Great Winchester Assize of Customs, 144. — Failure of King John's customs system, 146. — V. Conclusion, 147. — Classification of customs, local, semi-national, and national, 147. — Efforts to create a national system, 1275–1347, 147. — Great influence of the local upon the national system, 148.